With the trilling of whistles and the clatter of skates, the 2018 International Women’s Flat Track Derby Association (WFTDA) Championship Tournament got underway at the UNO Lakefront Arena on Friday morning. The elimination tourney will climax Sunday with the crowning of the best amateur team out of 469 leagues from across America and the globe.

Anna Pave-U’Ova is a member of the Victorian Roller Derby League from Melbourne Australia, the defending champs. She said that the time zone and climate changes associated with circling the globe before circling the track are a challenge, but she and her teammates would be ready for their first match at 8 p.m. on Friday.

Pave-U’Ova is what you call a jammer. Her job is to break away from the roiling pack of obstructive opponents in order to swiftly circle the track and pass them, thereby scoring points. Pave-U’Ova was once a ballet dancer, she said. This makes her especially “bouncy on her toes,” as a teammate put it. Bouncing on the toes is an important skill; it’s how jammers put the brakes on to prevent themselves from skating out of bounds as they dodge and collide with other players.

Roller derby players wear knee and elbow protection plus helmets. When they crash onto the concrete track at the UNO Arena it sounds as if somebody dropped a lobster out of a second-story window. Pave-U’Ova said she’s happy the track is concrete because that’s what the team practices on in Melbourne. She said her best protection from injury is her fitness.

Pave-U’Ova, who works for a high-tech firm that designs apps, said that the Victorian Roller Derby League’s big advantage is unpredictability. They don’t tend to fall back on rote plays, which keeps the other team off balance. On the other hand, within her team, it’s the opposite. The team is cohesive, she said. “We like each other,” she said. “We trust each other.”

A women’s roller derby parade on Bourbon Street!
There’s really no such thing as a normal afternoon on Bourbon Street, but Thursday (Nov. 8 afternoon will be even a little less normal. Ten women’s roller derby teams from across the country, plus Canada, Australia and Sweden are in town for the Women’s Flat Track Derby Association (WFTDA) Championship Tournament at the UNO Lakefront Arena this weekend. To kick off the tourney New Orleans style, approximately 800 skaters and fans will roll and ramble down Bourbon Street starting at 6 p.m.

Tacocat, a WFTDA board member, whose name is spelled the same forwards and backwards, said that the appeal of women’s roller derby has something to do with inclusiveness. The players come from all backgrounds and they represent all body types, ages and skill levels, from non-athletes to Olympians, she said. Tacocat pointed out that the opportunities for women to compete athletically after college are few. Women’s roller derby fills that void.

Tacocat said that the WFTDA, which is a nonprofit organization, chose New Orleans as the site of the 2018 tournament at the suggestion of New Orleans’ beloved Big Easy Rollergirls.

We say, welcome to New Orleans. May everyone play their best and may the best women win. Oh, and only drink one Hand Grenade cocktail, no matter how smooth they might taste.

The event starts on Friday (Nov. 9), with matches at 4 p.m., 6 p.m. and 8 p.m. Skating continues on Saturday (Nov. 10) with matches at noon, 2 p.m., 4 p.m., 6 p.m. and 8 p.m. The championship finals take place at 2 p.m., 4 p.m. and 6 p.m. on Sunday (Nov. 11). Admission to the tournament is $27 per day, with three-day passes starting at $75. Look for locals discounts on Sunday. For tickets or more information, visit the WFTDA tournament website.